The importance of Sustainability to student decision making

Sustainability is an increasingly important issue for students when picking a study destination and QS is proud to be the first major university ranking provider to include it not only as a standalone ranking but also as an indicator in our core rankings.

The QS International Student Survey (2024) revealed that 88 percent of students surveyed rate sustainability as moderately, very, or extremely important, and 40 percent of prospective students actively research an institution’s environmental sustainability strategy prior to deciding where to study.

Such a paradigm shift must be reflected in institutional behaviour and in rankings, hence the importance of the Sustainability Rankings in championing and enabling change.

Headlines from the 2026 edition

The rankings have expanded significantly since their inception in 2023, from an initial 700 universities in the first edition to almost 2,000 universities ranked in 2026, a growth of 186 percent. This reflects QS’s commitment to champion sustainability efforts worldwide.

This edition sees a change at the top of the rankings as Lund University in Sweden jumps two spots to claim the number 1 rank for the first time. Among the institution’s notable sustainability activities is its postgraduate research schools initiative, which unlocks opportunities for early-career researchers by connecting them with peers from different academic backgrounds.

Elsewhere in the top 10, UCL also jumps two places into 3rd position. The central London institution has made sustainability a key centralised and strategic priority, through flagship initiatives such as Wild UCL, which aims to restore natural ecosystems and a target to deliver a 20 percent biodiversity net again across campuses by 2034. Since 2019 UCL has added 10,000m2 of biodiverse space and added cycling and walking infrastructure to encourage active travel and reduce air pollution.

Location trends

At a national level, New Zealand, Australia and Belgium are the top locations based on average score across all lenses in the rankings.

New Zealand leads the way with an impressive average score of 85.8, demonstrating excellence across all three ESG categories. It ranks highest in Environmental Research, Equality and Good Governance, showing a well-rounded institutional commitment to sustainability.

Ireland (5th), Singapore (6th), Switzerland (8th) and Denmark (10th) also perform well, reflecting the impact that a small number of strong universities can have on national averages. In the case of Ireland, Trinity College Dublin and University College Dublin both rank in the top 50, while all Irish institutions make the top 500.

The United Kingdom and Canada also appear in the top 10, which is significant given their number of universities. The UK, for instance, has over 100 ranked institutions yet still maintains a strong average score of 71.7, showing widespread engagement with sustainability metrics.

Categories and lenses

The QS rankings methodology is built around three categories: Environmental Impact, Social Impact and Governance - often referred to collectively as ESG. These categories are further broken down into nine lenses, each focusing on a specific area.

This structure allows QS to assess universities on everything from environmental projects on campus, through to diversity initiatives, institutional governance, and the impact of academic research across the UN's 17 SDGs.

Environmental Impact

The Environmental Impact category evaluates how universities contribute to a more sustainable world through their research, education, and operational practices. It’s further broken down into three lenses: Environmental Education, Environmental Research, and Environmental Sustainability.

In the 2026 rankings, two European universities stand out. Lund University is the highest ranked institution in this category, while Corvinus University of Budapest has the largest upward movement.

At a national level, New Zealand, Belgium and Singapore have the three highest average scores with 80.6, 72.1, and 70.9, respectively.

Social Impact

The Social Impact category recognises the efforts universities are making to transform society for the better. It’s further broken down into five lenses: Employability and Opportunities, Equality, Health and Wellbeing, Impact of Education, and Knowledge Exchange.

Of these, Knowledge Exchange is the lens which has the most unique profile in terms of location average scores, with several territories registering stronger or weaker scores here than in other lenses.

Across the Social Impact category, two institutions from the Asia Pacific take the lead. The University of New South Wales - the most sustainable university in Oceania - is the highest ranked institution overall, while the Superior University, in Lahore, Pakistan is the biggest climber.

The Netherlands, New Zealand and Australia are the category’s three highest average scores in terms of locations - all above 85.

Governance

The Governance category - which includes a single lens, Good Governance - looks at an institution’s leadership, the democratic processes for its elections, the presence of open and documented decision making, and how power is divided between the executive body, the institution and its students.

In the 2026 edition, Lund University and the University of York in England are the highest ranked institutions, with Wales’ Cardiff Metropolitan University the most improved.

In terms of average scores, New Zealand and Costa Rica both score above 90, while Australia is third with 84.5.

Overall, beyond those locations with strengths across the board, we see a much-changed mix of high-scoring territories here, indicating that strength in governance doesn’t always translate into broader sustainability outcomes, and may reflect gaps in implementation or institutional priorities.

The QS commitment

Alongside producing the rankings, QS has its own ESG vision and commitments, championing sustainability initiatives internally and continually working towards measurable goals while reviewing and refining our policies to address evolving global challenges.

In 2019, QS proudly became a certified CarbonNeutral® Company. The initial stages involved the calculation of the business’ carbon footprint; exploring areas such as water use, waste, outbound deliveries and packaging, site energy, company vehicles, and office electricity. From here, QS were able to identify areas of improvement and set future targets,

QS also supports the Acre Amazonian Rainforest Conservation project in collaboration with Natural Capital Partners, which is helping to grow and protect the Amazon rainforest while offsetting emissions.